6 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 16-22, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com NEWS The news in May of a felony animal abuse investigation into a “no-kill” animal rescue facility in Humboldt County spread worry among staffs at dozens of shelters in California that sent animals there, including Hitchcock Road Animal Services, a joint facility of the County of Monterey and the City of Salinas. Between 2020 and March of this year, HRAS sent 85 dogs to the rescue in hopes it would give the dogs a better chance at finding homes. In the wake of the investigation by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and state and federal officials, HRAS staff traveled to Miranda’s Rescue on June 14 and successfully retrieved three dogs sent there in March: Kat, Zorra and Skipper. All three were in good condition. On July 8, they learned the fate of two more dogs, Hana and Mary, who were transferred in February. Humboldt County Sheriffs informed HRAS that both dogs were found deceased during a recent warrant search on the property. Animal Services Administrator Cindy Burnham says Miranda’s Rescue founder, Shannon Miranda, lied to HRAS, claiming that at least one of the two dead dogs had been placed in a home. “This is obviously a huge breach of trust because we trusted them to save these dogs and provide them a forever home, then we were lied to—that hurts,” Burnham says. She has arranged for staff and volunteers, many of whom worked with the dogs, to access counseling with the Monterey County Behavioral Health Bureau. Working for a shelter comes with the reality that some animals won’t make it, but the nature of the Miranda’s Rescue situation felt like more support was needed. The criminal investigation is ongoing. Rescue Fail Two dogs from Monterey County’s shelter are found dead at a Northern California facility. By Pam Marino Three yearsˆ after members of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors first raised the potential for independent oversight over the County Sheriff, on July 7, they approved the creation of an office of the inspector general with a community advisory committee. “It would give us the ability to ask better questions of the sheriff and provide the public with more transparency about what some of those policies and practices are,” Supervisor Wendy Root Askew says. This includes policies, overtime management, jail practices and more. Francisco Lopez, director for District 12 of the League of United Latin American Citizens, applauds the decision. “We believe it will strengthen public trust,” he says. Trust in the sheriff’s office was at a low when Root Askew first brought the issue forward in 2022. Thensheriff Steve Bernal was publicly reprimanded by the board that year for neglecting to address sexual harassment within the department. In 2021, he was censured for misuse of funds. State Assembly Bill 1185, passed in 2020, allows counties to create committees to oversee sheriffs and their departments, which led Monterey County to form an ad hoc committee comprising supervisors Root Askew and Glenn Church. They held a public meeting in 2023, then went quiet for three years. Askew says the issue resurfaced after the sheriff’s office released its latest Truth Act report, a mandatory annual update in which local law enforcement agencies share data on inmates released to ICE, and subsequent meetings where the board discussed immigration issues. Several residents spoke up to demand the creation of an oversight committee. Currently, the sheriff’s office is undergoing a financial audit by GGP Analytics, requested in 2025 by the board. Church says the delayed audit was a setback on formalizing an oversight process earlier. “We were hoping we were going to get information before we made a decision, but that has taken quite a bit of time,” he says. Sheriff Tina Nieto says she will follow the board’s decision but wonders if it is fiscally responsible; County staff estimate it will cost $500,000 annually. “This is a cost to taxpayers and I don’t think this is money the county should be spending right now,” she says. Nieto adds she’s been open. “Up to this point, whatever the supervisors have wanted to see, I’ve presented to them,” she says. She has been under scrutiny since taking office in 2023, including recently for data showing the release of 21 individuals, out of 9,200 people booked in county jail, to ICE in 2025. Chris Barrera, a LULAC president who supported Nieto during her campaign, argues Nieto hasn’t been transparent. “She expressed how she was going to support civilian oversight committees,” Barrera says. Allyssa Victory, senior staff attorney with the ACLU of Northern California, says oversight benefits the community: “It increases transparency and communication.” Victory says sheriffs in general haven’t been held accountable for misconduct. “They’re funded by public dollars. They serve the public, and so they should be accountable,” Victory says. In order to effectively oversee a Sheriff’s Office, committees and inspectors general need subpoena powers, Victory adds: “That is a critical power for them.” Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto was elected in 2022 to a six-year term. Of the creation of an office of an inspector general, she says, “It’s political theater.” Police Power County supervisors approve the creation of an inspector general to oversee sheriff’s office. By Celia Jiménez Hana, a 1-year-old husky mix, was one of two dogs previously in the care of Hitchcock Road Animal Services that were found dead at Miranda’s Rescue. A microchip confirmed their identities. “We believe it will strengthen public trust.” DANIEL DREIFUSS COURTESY COUNTY OF MONTEREY
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